Why did the British lose the War of Independence?
Intro
The Americans had stronger leadership in George Washington.
The British made mistakes and had more weaknesses
Foreign support for the Americans
Introduce what the American war of independence was (who was fighting whom?
Say it ended with the Treaty of Paris, which was signed on 3rd September 1783.
Kept the army together
Facts
He had an amazing ability to stop the army from falling apart and avoided being completely defeated by the British. This happened when he had a strategic retreat at the Battle of Long Island on 29th August 1776 which stopped the main body of his army being captured.
Looked after his troops: in the winter at Morristown, New Jersey in early 1777, he arranged for smallpox vaccinations to be given to soldiers.
At Valley Forge in 1777-78 Washington marched his 11,000 troops into their winter camp at Valley Forge, near Philadelphia. Conditions were dreadful, with little food and freezing temperatures. In order to keep the army together, Washington organized foraging parties to gather supplies, but also issued passes to limit the numbers who could leave the camp. (nb 2,500 still died and 1000 deserted but maybe don’t mention this!)
Maintained discipline: He established a strict disciplinary code in the army which encouraged the soldiers to resepct and obey their officers.
Took opportunities
Facts
• Washington did not follow the traiditional habits of European warfare.
• He launched a surprise attack on the British forces at Trenton in December 1776and Princeton in January 1777 which were successful because the British were not used to fighting in the Winter.
• He shot at officers during the Saratoga campaign.
• Made effective use of any advantage given: When Von-Steuben the Prussian officer offered to train American troops in February 1778, even though he spoke no English, Washington accepted. He helped to train the Continental Army to march in order and to use its weapons more effectively.
Encouraged Support
Facts
• Could raise a large amount of troops to fight for him. Promoted the idea of American liberty which attracted people to join his army.
• When army needed supplies, he paid for them or gave receipts for seized property.
• Around 230,000 men served in the Continental Army throughout the war.
• Gained support of key figures such as French Admiral de Grassse whose ships helped at Yorktown and Marquis de Lafayette also played a central role.
Poor battle plans
Facts
• The British had some great victories but at a price of heavy casualties at Bunker Hill in 1775 which involved a frontal assault on the Americans, 228 British soldiers were killed and 800 wounded.
• Many Americans escaped capture: after the Battle of Long Island in 1776, the British did not follow up their victory, which meant 9.000 American troops escapted to fight again.
• HUGE logistical problems: during the 1777 campaign, General Burgoyne took 30 carts full of possessions with him. This slowed his army down and contributed to its surrender at Saratoga.
• During the 1777 campaign, Burgoyne didn’t know the territory and struggled to travel through the dense forest.
• They couldn’t drift too far away from waterways because of their supply chain, this caused substantial issues, especially when the Americans used this to their advantage at Saratoga to starve them out, and at Yorktown.
Poor Communication
Facts
• They were 4,000 miles away from Britain so communication with Britain took 4-6 weeks to arrive.
• British generals struggled to work together in 1777, General Howe planned a campaign to capture Philadelphia, but did not coordinate with Burgoyne’s plan to march south to New York. As a consequence, Howe was too busy at Philadelphia to help Burgoyne when he ran into difficulties on his journey through New York.
• Same problem continued. In 1781 General Clinton sent Cornwallis to Yorktown. When the Americans began to surround Yorktown, Clinkton sent a letter that promised reingforecmenets of t 4,000 troops. However, he did not live up to this promise.
• Instead, Clinkton delaed, and Cornwallis waited for help that never came. By Mid-October, an outnumbered Cornwallis surrended to Washington.
Facts
After the key loss of Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, the French became involved in the war because the French realized the Americans had a chance of success.
French and Spanish involvement meant it became a worldwide war.
French had 64 warships, and the Spanish, 57 which outnumbered the 90 British wasrhips.
In 1778, 41% of Brtisih’s navy was in America, but this was dropped to 13% by 1780.
Spanish involvement meant that Britain had to send troops to protect East and West Florida from an invasion.
French involvement
Facts
a. Vital supllies: £48 million worth of weapons and supplies during the war
b. Military expertise: French officers took a central role in planning campaisng. For example the Marquis de Lafayette joined Washington’s staff in July 1777
c. Fleet of Ships: Admiral de Grasse’s French fleet helped prevent supplies reaching Yorktown and ferried French troops to join the siege itself.
Conclusion
Say which factos you believe led to the British losing
Poor behaviour
- Burgoyne should have retreated earlier in 1777 when he was struggling to travel through forests but he had signed a bet with his London club that he would win at Saratoga so wouldn’t give up.
- The British did little to maintain the support of American loyalists of gain the support of netural Americans. In fact, the behavior of their troops turned many against the British. The British relied on hired Hessian troops and Native American allies, who frightened Americans with their violent behavior. In response, many Americans joined the rebels.